Conduit electric railway



(No Model.)

' D. BRO0KS,-Jr.

GONDUIT ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

No. 540,900.- Patented June 11, 1895. 1

WITNESSES INVENTIOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID BROOKS, JR, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CONDUIT ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 540,900, dated June II, 189 5.

Application filed June 9, 1892. Renewed December 7, 1894. Serial No. 531,100. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DAVID BROOKS, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of 5 Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Railways, which lmprovement is fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings.

The object of. my invention is the formation of an electrical connection between an underground trolley wire or rail, and an electrical railway car, and consists of one or more chains, linked pieces or wires or other flexible material, which by their own weight rest upon the top of the wire or rail.

It also consists of a guard for said chains, &c., whereby a continuous contact of the latter with the wire'or rail may be maintained.

It also consists in breaking the continuity z'o' of the contact of the'chain, &c., with the wire or rail, for causing an automatic momentary interruption of the current, and providing the receiver with a guard, as will be herein after set forth.

Figure 1 represents a transverse vertical section of an electrical railway embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents alongitudinal vertical section thereof. Fig. 3 represents a perspective View of the construction of the railway at the place of crossing. Fig. 4 represents a view of the construction of the railway at a break therein.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

Referring .to the drawings, A designates a sub-way or conduit of suitable construction. B designates a slot in the crown or top thereof. 0 designates insulators within the conduit, the same being formed of suitable non-conducting material, and supported-on hangers D, which are properly secured to the conduit On the insulators C, are placed the electrical conductors E and F, between which is a strip G of wood or other insulating material forming together a rail, thelo'wer conductor E sectional or separated at intervals, as at H, Figs. 2 and 4. At the ends of the sections of said conductors E, are pieces J of fusible material, the same connecting the conductor F with the said sections, by which provision, shouldany material or article drop upon the F being continuous, and the upper conductor conductor E, and thus cause a short circuit, the connection J will. fuse, sothat only the relative section of the conductor E will be affected without injuring the remainder of the conductor. Where railways cross, the conductors are separated as shown in Fig. 3, and the ends of opposite conductors are connected by brackets K, said brackets crossing and located one below the other, so as not to interfere with each other, and serving to sustain the ends of the conductors. Y

L designates the piece of metal which receives the electric current, the same being connected with the car and movable through the slot B.

Depending from the piece or receiver Laro several chains -M, or in lieu thereof linked pieces of metal or pieces of wire which rest by their own weight freely on the topof the rail and rise and fall with said receiver and thus always remain in contact with the same, it being noticed that the electric current from the rail is taken up by said chains or pieces, 7 and thus conducted to the receiver L. On the rail are guards N, which are preferably formed of wire, and project upwardly from the sides of the rail, and serve to keep the chains or pieces M from slipping from the rail, thus insuring a contact at all times of the chains or pieces with the rail. As thev guards are separated one from another, Water is permitted to run 01f of the rail, the effect of which is evident. It is believed to be ad- 8 vantageous to make a small break in the continuity of the chain contact with the rail, as at J. This will cause a momentary automatic interruption of the current and notify the driver of the car of the same, or cause a re- 0 versal of the current at dangerous points. The receiver L is guarded on opposite sides by pieces P of uninsulated metal, whereby damage to the same may be prevented.

Having thus described my invention, what 5 I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is;- 7

1. In an electric railway, an insulating support, a continuous electric conductor thereon, a sectional conductor with intervening insu- 10o lating material on said continuous conductor, pieces connecting said conductors, a receiver adapted to be connected with a car, and a chain connected with said receiver and conduit, a continuous conductor on said support, insulating strips on said continuous conductor, a sectional conductor with separated ends on said strips, pieces connecting the ends of said sections and said continuous conductors, a receiver movable in said slot, a frame protecting said receiver, and a chain secured to said receiver and in contact with said sectional conductor, said parts being combined substantially as described.

DAVID BROOKS, JR. Witnesses:

JOHN A. WIEDERSHEIM, A. P. JENNINGS. 

